1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates to a fishing apparatus having particular utility in ice fishing and to an indicating device for registering a change in the condition of a work object and which is unusually well suited to indicating when a fish has contacted the line of a fishing apparatus evidencing such an occurrence through a variety of selectively determinable signals.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
The prior art is replete with devices of various types adapted to signal when a fish has been snagged on the line of a fishing pole. Some such devices have been specifically designed for such usage in connection with ice fishing. Typically, however, such devices are both cumbersome to set up and operate and are less than dependable in operation. For example, in some such devices triggering of an alarm is dependent upon the closing of a switch by a rather clumsy assembly of levers or linkages which are subject to inadvertent damage or improper adjustment. Without closure of the switch, the alarm will not be operated.
Similarly, prior art alarm devices do not provide the operator with the option of selecting the best alarm for the conditions at hand. Thus, a signal light may be appropriate for night fishing or at dawn or dusk while it would be of little value during daylight hours. Conversely, a signal horn may not be best suited to use at night.
Still further, there are problems peculiar to ice fishing. Conventional ice fishing devices are rather cumbersome and cannot conveniently nor securely be stored for transport. They are thus subject to damage. In addition, alarm devices, including those specifically adapted for ice fishing, have proved unreliable and inconvenient to set up, operate and then to disassemble and store.
Therefore, it has long been known that it would be desirable to have a fishing apparatus particularly adapted for ice fishing which can conveniently be set up and operated while having the capability of being rapidly disassembled and disposed in a transport configuration which minimizes the risk of damage to the components thereof. Similarly, it has also been known that it would be desirable to have an indicating device particularly well suited to use on ice fishing devices which is compact and dependable in operation, which permits the operator to select the type of signal most suited to the circumstances and which is adapted for convenient and secure storage so as virtually to preclude damage thereto.